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What Better Backdrop For A Crime
Lethal Connections follows a homicide detective who is investigating a series of deaths with the only connection being money and power. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
One of our authors, Erik Shein, is a herpetologist and has always been fascinated with poisonous reptiles. He has his own snake collection. Melissa Davis and I both enjoy writing dark paranormal, tinged with a little humor. We thought it would be fun to team up and put together a crime thriller with a dark, paranormal feel. We chose the New Orleans area for the backdrop because let’s face it, everyone is fascinated with New Orleans with its dark history, myths and legends. What better backdrop for a crime novel?
What was the collaborative process of working with the other authors on this novel?
We’ve been doing this for a while. We’ve been writing as a team since 2016. We started the process by first throwing ideas back and forth at each other. Once we decided where the story would take us, we did a lot of research to ensure our facts were right, and the writing process began. As I said before, we’ve been doing this for a while now. With a writing team, it keeps writer’s block at bay.
Crime fiction is a new genre for us and presented a few new challenges to us as writers. You would be surprised at what you could do when you challenge yourself. I have to say that it was a fun collaboration, and we plan to do more.
How did the mystery develop for this story? Did you plan it before writing or did it develop organically?
The mystery of the story was developed by a lot of plotting! Most of the stories I personally write myself usually develop organically. I let the muse guide me. However, with this one, we plotted it step by step and scene by scene. Since this was a new genre for us, we wanted to make sure that the story flowed and that no steps were missed in solving this mystery.
Will this novel be the start of a series or are you working on a different story?
Yes, this novel is the start of a series. We’ve already been discussing how the next story will begin. The only thing left to do is to pick our poison. LOL Seriously, though, we have about ten different ideas percolating. Not sure right now if it’ll be ten more books, but two or three more books for sure.
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Sergeant Lance Knight has a pile of unsolved homicide cases on his desk. On the surface, none seem to be connected. The victims are all men with money or power. An investment banker, a lawyer, and a local politician. They don’t socially run in the same circles. Lance can’t find a connection.
Working closely with coroner Gina Goodwin, Lance and Gina discover a pattern. Three unrelated things the bodies all have in common—a string of lethal connections. Is it just a coincidence, or is it something more?
Things heat up when Lance realizes he’s getting close to finding the killer, and everything spirals out of control. Can he piece it together before it’s too late?
Lethal Connections
Lance Knight, a homicide detective in New Orleans, has his work cut out for him when bodies begin to stack up. He teams up with Gina, an intelligent coroner who doesn’t give up so easily to solve a challenging case. Thomas Wilcox, a man who was dumped in the swamp with a distinct mark on his body, is just one of many that end up dead. Are these deaths connected? Is there a serial killer on the loose? As the investigation deepens, Lance soon becomes a target. Unsure of whom to believe, he knows one thing, he must find the killer before they find him.
The story immediately opens with drama and suspense, and I was instantly hooked. The authors provide readers with a captivating narrative that will keep them on the edge of their seats. Lance is passionate about his work, and that takes precedence over anything in his life. Gina is the coroner who is methodical, intelligent, and also passionate about her work. I enjoyed that the authors kept the storyline moving while providing short backstories on the characters introduced in the stories. This helped the story to move along while also giving the reader a sense of each character’s motivations. Authors Erik Daniel Shein, Melissa Davis, and Karen Fuller have combined their writing skills and creativity to create a thrilling story with likable characters. The details of the dead bodies may be a turn-off to some, but I found it intriguing. The twist at the end threw me for a loop and was the icing on the cake for this book.
I highly recommend this gripping read to fans of thrillers and crime fiction. It is the perfect read for suspense lovers with strong and intelligent characters. Lethal Connections is an engaging and page-turning novel that will not disappoint.
Pages: 191 | ASIN : B0BSG42JH1
Under the Aurora Sky
Lee is a city guy who has to work in a wildlife magazine to save his journalism career. To prove his capabilities he agrees to step out of his comfort zone and go on an expedition in the Great Bear Rainforest. He is taken by surprise when he meets his tour guide, Dani Skybird, a strong, perceptive but pessimistic woman. While forming a nascent love with nature, Isaak’s city habits cause trouble for his survival. With Dani guiding him a journey of self-discovery begins, helping Isaak appreciate a new lifestyle that might not keep his nails clean, but will surely keep his heart full of joy.
Under the Aurora Sky by Elissa Daye and Karen Fuller is a romantic adventure novel that uses nature as a backdrop to tell a heartfelt love story that is punctuated by some fun and dramatic moments. The story is colored by themes of love and friendship, making this a feel-good drama that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy.
This is an easy novel to get through. It is barley over 200 pages I was able to finish this book quickly because of the clear writing that keeps the focus on the characters and moving the story forward, all while giving you the feels.
The conflict between city dwellers and survivalists is contrasted beautifully through the two protagonists. While there is certainly a preference towards nature in this book I liked how the gender roles were reversed in this story. Isaak’s character goes through the largest change throughout the story and I enjoyed watching how he evolved. The authors make sure readers are with him every step of his self-discovery journey. While sowing the seeds of a romantic relationship, the authors emphasize how true companionship is important. Dani changes his outlook on life while he changes her perception of love.
Under the Aurora Sky is an adventure-filled love story that will keep readers engaged right up until the very end. Fans of romance will enjoy the exotic backdrop to this sentimental story and any reader will feel the warmth of companionship this book has to offer.
Pages: 225 | ASIN: B0BD2L21LS
LITERARY TITAN 